Lately I've discovered something that helps my skin heal. I've embraced scabs; they are a sign of healing and of health. Scabs don't hurt. Also they don't leak/change during the day, making me much less self concious. By framing scabs as something good you give your skin some much needed rest.

It's not a miracle, I still pick. But when scanning I no longer want to pick at scabs and consequently my skin is much less open and inflamed. I usually pick my face and arms/legs btw.

So I always scratch my scalp, especially whenever I’m trying to go bed. I do the lip biting and pick at the skin on my face sometimes but my scalp is my worst vice. I am asking here because I don’t even know how I would successfully google something like this. I started scratching my head again after maybe 2 weeks of not doing it. I know its not good. There was one spot at the bottom right that was a really good spot so I kept going at it. I scabbed it pretty good. Now I noticed it feels like my head is “bumpy” there, like how you just have natural bumps and ridges on the bone, but this one feels new. When I press on it, it does kinda just feel like bone, and it doesn’t hurt. But im telling you it feels new. I just want to know if its normal if an areas really inflamed from scratching that it can raise the skin/inflame it to feel this way? I am a very paranoid person so please no one give me webmd advice that its cancer or something because I will probably believe it and go into a spiral again. Has anyone else gotten a bump on their head from picking? And will it go down if I just leave it alone? Thank you

Idk what has happened in the past two weeks but my anxiety has been through the roof. I have spots all over my scalp that I continue to pick all day. Some are on my part and I’m short so I’m embarrassed if people average height can see.

I don’t get haircuts anymore, but that’s usually when there would be only one. But now I have about 8-10 that hurt and burn when I shower.

Any advice pr something to help me stop or products I can put on my scalp to help it heal?

I fucked up, I have work in 4 hours at a restaurant and I got into a hypnosis just picking at nothing on my face.
I can hide my arms and chest but I don't wear makeup aside from eyeliner so I don't have anything like that.
I've tried icing, and I'm still just as red as a tomato. I don't know if I should do warm water, face wash, continue icing.

Anything you guys have to help I'll try, I'm really in a rut I shouldn't have done it, I was just about to do my makeup and now...

Extra, how can I avoid all the spots turning into acne? I don't get acne naturally until the day after I pick.

I've never used nails myself but I'd like to try to see if it helps, I pick my face and it has gotten bad lately.

I know there's a type of nail that is just a thin layer of acrylic, could that help or should I get the regular ones? Also, should they be long, do you recommend a particular shape? Thanks in advance. Like I said, I've never used acrylic nails before and I'm a bit lost!

Wondering if anyone here is part of a public group that meets virtually and discusses/shares their stories and tips for picking. Recently realized that I need a lot more help with this than I am getting, and I’m looking for any type of support system. For trich or derm.

Not an easy combination. I hate the feeling if the little bumps under my skin and it makes me go NUTTSS I have oily skin, with big pores. I have a dermatology appointment but it's not until September. I've also been stressed and having problems sleeping, so that doesn't help. I've also tried cutting out all sugar for two months, and it didn't help sadly.

I started digging out the skin under my thumb nails as a child.

I would wedge my nails/teeth under the nail of my thumbs causing it to bleed and the nail to separate from the skin. I would keep doing that and pinching/biting the area until it bruised the tip of my thumb. I usually would go no deeper than about an 1/8”. Then I would dig out the skin under my nail with my nail. It felt so good to rip it off leaving a small cavity between the nail and my skin at the top. I would keep doing this until it got really sore. I would stop until it healed up after a few weeks then I would start all over again.

About 8 years ago I got a little carried away. I dug really deep. So deep it almost wasn’t enjoyable to rip the skin out. The resulting cavity was bigger than anything I had previously dug before. It took a couple years before my thumb didn’t have a noticeable indent in the top. The tip of my thumb now has a mild scar.

After that incident I don’t do it nearly as often but I am not sure if I will ever stop. It has been over 30 years.

I recently moved my preferred picking space from not just my scalp but included my ears. I woke up yesterday morning not being able to hear and horrible pain in my right ear. I went to doctor and she said it’s a nasty infection. She prescribed antibiotic drops. Why do I do this to myself 😔

So recently over the past year or so, I've started picking at my scalp and I wanna try to stop and I have these cotton gloves that I could wear. When I wear them, my nails can't make contact with the scabs so I think it may help?? And if I do start wearing most of the time, what do I do about wearing them in public? Like for example, school. Thats one of the times I pick the most so they would probably help but I'm worried about being judged or people thinking im weird for wearing them. Any advice for what to do?

As the title says, I pick pretty much anything I can. Face blemishes, fingers ans cuticles, my ears, cleaning between teeth. Even my toenails&cuticles, my tonsils and the blackhead looking things on my chest.

It's so bas but I can't stop. My ears are always in pain, i have bruises on my chest, I have frequent infections in my fingers and toes, I probably cause more harm than good to my teeth and gums by "over cleaning" them.

I ripped a scab of a wound and under the scab, the skin was red and raw (obviously) but also had tiny red bumps/welts. What are those bumps/welts? Ty!

This habit is really taking a toll on my mental health… it’s been like this for 6 years and it keeps getting worse and I feel to embarrassed to leave the house which is affecting my relationship with others, school and my parents… not to mention the physical pain/scarring… I feel like such a hypocrite, spending hundreds of my parents’ money in dermatologists and skincare products only to end up doing this to myself which makes me borderline suicidal since it makes me feel more like an inconvenience so it adds to my depression…

im not talking about scarred tissue, im wondering if it could cause sagging

I started taking NAC as a supplement after reading that there’s been research done that supports it leading to less body focused repetitive behavior. Today is the first day I realized that I don’t have one open sore on my entire body. They’re all healing and closed. It’s been at least 4 days since I’ve even thought about picking anything. I got mine from Walmart and it only comes in 1,000 mg capsules but you’re supposed to take 1,600 daily so I just take 2. Hoping and praying it continues to do It’s magic!!!

I'm living with my partner's family right now which is a nightmare in itself. I've been majorly depressed for about 5 years and it's led to me picking nearly nonstop lately. I have a spot over the right side of my lip, under my nose, that started as a tiny zit and has become this huge interconnected mass on the side of my nose/top lip because I picked/rubbed the skin into this condition.

The other day at dinner, my to be sister in laws four-year old pointed and laughed at my pimple patches along my lip and said it looked like a mustache. She's a little kid but it really hurts to actually be pointed at.

It also just is one of the reasons why I'm ashamed to leave the house let alone show my face at meals here. How do you deal with kids (or even adults) asking questions about your scars or has anyone ever made fun of you?

Sending love and support to all here🧚🏻

I rarely “break out” with normal pimples. They’re generally deep, painful bumps in my skin and I will pick and poke and cut until I bleed and ooze whatever that clear liquid is, then weeks later a head might form, or I’ll just have an ugly deep scar. What products can I use to make these stop? I use the deep pimple patches but they don’t seem to help except peel the top layer of skin off.

I am a consistent heel skin picker. I really want to stop. How long will it take for my feet to not be so damaged? I soaked my feet yesterday and I saw just how extensive the damage is over my entire heel and I want to stop.